


The Confusion of Dating a Stark

by Illusinia



Series: Darcy Stark Series [17]
Category: The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-26
Updated: 2012-11-25
Packaged: 2017-11-19 14:17:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/574156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Illusinia/pseuds/Illusinia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because things can never be easy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Darcy and Clint Have a Talk

**Author's Note:**

> So, I haven't decided what to do with this yet. Originally, it was going to be an account of the trials and tribulations of dating a Stark, but some of those stories have to inter-leaf with others that will be posted separately, so I'm not sure how I'm going to do this. I do like the idea of documenting the insanity that will come from those two dating, but I don't know for sure if I'll get around to it. At least, right now. So, for now I'm going to tentatively post this as a story within the series, but I haven't decided how it's going to work yet.

“Darcy?” called Clint softly as the workshop doors slid open. Inside, the room was darkened but not completely black, the limited light casting craggy shadows around the workshop. Various machines and tools created sharp figures that made him more than a little nervous.

 

“Back here,” responded Darcy, her voice echoing out from the back.

 

Carefully, Clint made his way through the mess that consisted of the floor. Seriously, he wasn't sure how she was able to navigate the space. There was literally a pile of wrenches laying in the middle of the room. Wrenches. He felt like he was in a cartoon. Any second that coyote was going to pop up out of nowhere and drop an anvil on his foot. Or a robotic one would, given this house did belong to the Stark family.

 

Finally, he managed to maneuver through the workshop without incident to where Darcy was sitting. Her feet were propped up on a stool which she kicked towards him when he came into view, motioning for him to sit. There was a regular laptop resting on her thighs that was wired into a small black device sunk into the wall itself. Another computer was set up beside her, the more traditional projected touch-screen type that Tony had in his own work space.

 

“I thought you'd been barred from your workshop for two weeks,” pointed out Clint as he pulled the stool around to sit next to her.

 

Darcy shrugged. “I'm barred from making anything explode. Last I checked, unless you're my father, things don't tend to explode when all you're doing is programming software upgrades.”

 

Clint nodded, leaning against the wall while being careful not to touch her. “What are you upgrading?”

 

“Josie,” replied Darcy as she tapped a few more keys, then hit enter and watched the program do something.

 

“Josie?” asked Clint with a furrowed brow. “Who's Josie?”

 

Apparently the computer did whatever it needed to because Darcy set the laptop on the desk next to her that acted as the marker for where the projected-computer was and turned to fully face Clint. “My personal AI. Why have you been avoiding me?”

 

“Wha-” started Clint, startled by the non-sequitur.

 

Darcy continued before he could say anything more. “You've been avoiding me since you found out about Mom and Dad. Why?”

 

“Er,” started Clint, trying to find the best way to explain. “I haven't been avoiding you. Not intentionally at least.”

 

“You haven't bothered to talk to me either,” pointed out Darcy. “I tried to engage you in conversation a few times and I've waved at you or invited you out to lunch multiple times in the past two weeks but you've either ignored me or said no. I know you're not that busy. So, why?”  
  


Clint thought back on the last few weeks, considering her actions and his own. He was telling the truth when he said he wasn't trying to avoid her. It wasn't anything like that. “Darcy, I've been trying to give you some space. I mean, you just got home two weeks ago and you've spent most of the time laid up with a concussion or playing with your tablet. It didn't seem like you wanted company.”

 

Darcy snorted slightly. “News flash Clint, I'm always playing with my tablet or in my workshop. And if neither A or B is true, then I'm on forced bed rest. In any of those situations though, I tend to enjoy company.”

 

Again, he paused to consider her words. And her actions. Plus the implications. It was a moment before he responded, careful not to sound too hopeful. “Are you sure?”

 

“Clint,” sighed Darcy as she leaned forward and motioned towards the doors to her workshop, “did you notice how easy it was to walk in here?”

 

Clint nodded. “I figured you left the door unlocked for me.”

 

“Yeah, no,” corrected Darcy. “I _never_ leave my workshop unlocked. Ever.” Looking up at him, she made sure to meet his eyes before continuing. “The only people who can just walk into my workshop are myself, an old friend of mine, and now you.” Looking toward the computer screen, she hit a few buttons as she continued. “I had Josie change your clearance earlier, along with Jarvis. So, you know, if you ever need to hide or whatever, your welcome in here. I understand that Dad can be a bit trying.”

 

A faint smirk pulled at Clint's lips. “And if I just want to visit you?”

 

Darcy shrugged as casually as she could. “Kinda figured that was a given.”

 

“Uh-uh,” murmured Clint as he leaded towards her. “I'm gonna need you to spell it out for me. After all, I'm one of the 'jack-booted thugs' remember?”

 

“I never called you that,” corrected Darcy as she turned back towards him, eyes going a little wide when she realized how close he was. “That was Eric.”

 

“And you didn't agree?” questioned Clint curiously.

 

“Nope, you struck me as being a little more intelligent,” confirmed Darcy with a faint smirk. “After all, a bow takes a little more brain power than a gun.”

 

Clint softly snorted. “Ha, ha. Seriously Darce, I need you to spell this all out for me plain as day. Tell me what you want, because the last thing I want to do is misread a cue and piss you off.”

 

She rolled her eyes, then grabbed the back of his head and pressed her lips to his. For several long moments, he just kissed her. Carefully. Like he'd said, this was her show. Which apparently frustrated her, because she growled and more or less shoved her tongue in his mouth. The kiss lasted a moment more, until they needed to breath and were forced to pull away.

 

“That clear enough?” murmured Darcy as she leaned her forehead against his.

 

“Crystal,” confirmed Clint quietly. She wanted a sexual relationship, nothing more. The lack of verbal response made it very clear what she wanted. “So, do you need to monitor that update?”

 

“Upgrade,” corrected Darcy as his free hand began to slide slowly up her arm. “And no. Josie'll boot back up when it's done and if there are any problems either she or Jarvis will tell me.”

 

Clint smirked and dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “Then we should go upstairs. Specifically to a bedroom.”

 

Darcy's smirk matched his own. “I like the way you think, archer boy.”

 

“Man,” growled Clint as he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder suddenly. “There are no boys here.”

 

The laugh that echoed out of Darcy's throat was music to his ears. “Do you have any proof of your claim?”

 

“I'll give you proof,” promised Clint with a near-manic grin. “I'll give you so much proof you'll have difficulty walking under it all tomorrow.”

 

“Just the kind of proof I love,” purred Darcy as Clint walked out of her lab with her dangling over his shoulder. The doors shut behind them with a click.


	2. Steve and Darcy Make A Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve agrees to help Darcy and clears some things up for her in regards to her relationship with Clint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place about a week after the first chapter.

“Hey, Steve, do you have a minute?”

 

Steve glanced down the hallway behind him, surprised to hear anyone up at this hour. Well, perhaps, in a house owned by Tony Stark, he should have been more surprised if he hadn't seen someone else up. It was a Stark residence after all, and he had never met a Stark who actually slept. Or wasn't crazy in some way, shape, or form.

 

Darcy was leaning on the doorway that Steve knew led to Clint Barton's room. Her hair was mused and sticking up in all directions, looking as if she had run her fingers through it multiple times. Or someone else had. Grease was smeared on one cheek though and her fingers looked like there was something stained on them. The tank top she had on was about as wrecked as her appearance and Steve guessed it probably originally belonged to Tony. Her jeans were her own though, and as tattered as the tank. The over-all appearance made her look incredibly _young_ despite the serious look in her eyes.

 

“Of course, Miss Stark. What do you need?” asked Steve uncertainly. He was used to hearing stories about a bubbly girl with crazy ideas, not this serious woman with a determined look in her eyes.

 

Darcy moved away from the door, coming to stand before Steve with her hands tucked into the front pockets of her jeans. “It's Darcy, Steve. Just Darcy. None of that Miss Stark or Miss Potts bull.” Steve nodded his understanding. “And I just wanted to say, it really is an honor to meet you. I know I didn't say that when we first met, what with the explosions and head injuries, but it's true. It really is an honor to meet someone my dad has always told these amazing stories about.”

 

Steve's eyebrows furrowed slightly. “Tony knows stories about me?”

 

“Stuff he heard from Grandpa,” confirmed Darcy with a shrug. “Not personal stories of course. Well, none that haven't happened in the last year.”

 

“That sounds more accurate,” agreed Steve with a smile. “Well, thank you for saying that Darcy.”

 

Darcy nodded, paused, then pushed onward. He could tell when she was getting to whatever point she wanted to make because her eyes hardened a little. “Alright, so, this is awkward and all, but I have a favor to ask.”

 

Ah, that explained the determined look. “What sort of favor?”

 

“It's about my dad,” explained Darcy, one hand sliding out of her pocket to move as she talked even though her eyes darted everywhere else. The action was so Tony it was almost scary. “Look, he may be a genius but he does a lot of stupid things and, well...”

 

“You worry about him,” supplied Steve with a soft smile, noting the way that she glanced away at one of the walls. “It shows.”

 

Darcy snorted and looked back at him, shoulders relaxing back a little. “Yeah, well, the thing is...look, can you try to keep him safe? Not at risk to yourself, of course, but if you see him doing something stupid, well, stop him? If you can that is. I know how hard it is to stop a Stark from doing something once their mind is set and all from first-hand experience.”

 

Steve nodded, his smile falling a little as he considered her request. And a very recent rant from Tony about a similar topic but focusing on the girl in front of him. “I can do that, but I need you to do something for me in return.”

 

For a moment, she looked taken aback, mind scrambling to figure out what he could want. Obviously, she wasn't expecting him to ask for something in return. Normally he wouldn't have, but this was too important to pass up.

 

Apparently unable to figure out what he was thinking, she shrugged and looked at him expectantly.“What do you need me to do?”

 

“I need you to keep yourself safe,” replied Steve, arms crossing over his chest in his best 'father' imitation. He'd seen Tony in that same pose a few days ago when he was lecturing Darcy. That Tony could even take on a serious pose had been more of a surprise than finding out he had a daughter.

 

A furrow formed between her eyebrows. “I don't understand.”

 

Sighing, Steve carefully chose his next words. “I need you to follow safety protocols when a situation calls for them, to keep yourself out of harms way and alive. Darcy, there are two men on my team who would die to keep you safe and I don't want to loose them because you don't feel like following the rules. Understand?”

 

“Two guys?” muttered Darcy. “Who? I mean, I know Dad's one of them, but who's the other?”

 

Steve motioned behind her with his chin. “The man who's room you just came out of.”

 

Darcy glanced back towards Clint's door and let out a quiet 'ooooh'. Surprise hung in her voice and when she turned back to him, the furrow was deeper. “Clint would die for me?”

 

“He loves you, Darcy,” explained Steve, drawing on all his patience and pretending that he was talking to Tony. “For most of the time I've known him, he's been trying to find you again.”

 

She shook her head a little, beyond confused. “I don't understand, we just slept together once...” Her eyes slid to Clint's door again. “How can he say he loves me when he barely knows me?”

 

Steve let a small smile dance across his features. “Sometimes it doesn't take long to realize you love someone, Darcy. He might not know you well, but he wants to learn more about you and there's a lot he would do to keep you safe.” Her eyes shot back to Steve, wide and a little scared. “Give him a chance, I think you'll be surprised by what you see.”

 

“I'm giving him a chance,” replied Darcy with a shrug. “I'm still sleeping with him, aren't I? I'm not a man-whore like my dad. If I sleep with someone more than once, with me it's as good as dating.”

 

“I think you might want to tell him that,” advised Steve gently. He'd figured _something_ like that was going on. Darcy just hadn't struck him as the kind to randomly sleep around. Then again, she was a Stark so he supposed anything could happen. Especially with Tony as a role model, never mind that Pepper had been there too. “Clint thinks you guys are just physically involved right now.”

 

Darcy nodded slowly, apparently surprised. “Huh. Yeah, guess I'll do that. Wow. He really thinks I'm just hanging around for the sex?”

“Yes,” confirmed Steve as he cleared his throat a little. This conversation was quickly becoming awkward.

 

Apparently Darcy didn't notice or care though, because she kept right on going. As if nothing was wrong with having a conversation about bed partners with your bed partner's team leader. “I always forget that other people don't go around sleeping with random people.”

 

Steve nodded. “And that other people aren't Tony?”

 

“Yeah,” chucked Darcy. “That too. He's such a man whore, and he knows it. Anyway, thanks Steve, for all the help.”

 

“Anytime, Darcy,” assured Steve as she turned and headed back to the room she'd just come out of, waving to him as she went. When the door at shut behind her, Steve started back towards his own room with a shake of his head. Starks. They might be genius', but they could be really clueless sometimes...


	3. It's Not Easy to Ask Out a Stark, AI's are Everywhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint asks Darcy for an actual date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously didn't know what to call this chapter.

Clint sighed as he stared at the doors to Darcy's workshop. Things had been a little rough for him since she moved into the mansion. Well, technically she was moving _back_ in, but that's a different story entirely. She'd moved into their semi-dangerous super-hero asylum (he couldn't decide if it resembled a sanctuary or a mental institution) and for him things had been weird, which any normal human could understand. How often do you find out you're sleeping with the daughter of one of your teammates who also happens to be rich and the owner of the house you're all currently living in? Not to mention that you may or may not be considering attempting to pursue a more stable relationship with said daughter because, like he'd suspected, she kicks proverbial and literal ass. Not many women are willing to taze a god.

 

The coffee cup in his hand burned a little, reminding him of his reasons for coming down here. She'd told him just a week ago that she wanted something physical with him. He would be damned if he didn't at least try for something more though. It wasn't that he had an issue with no-strings sex partners; he'd coveted that exact arrangement many times before. His issue with it here had more to do with apparently not knowing much of _anything_ about his partner and finding that he wanted to know more. Had wanted to know more since they slept together in New Mexico.

 

She's sarcastic, intelligent, obstinate, and yet somehow still cheery in a way that he almost needed. He needed someone in his life who could chase away the shadows. And maybe it had only been a fluke before, but he is really hoping it isn't because he wants to keep having snark-filled conversations at the crack of dawn over cups of coffee when he's just getting up while she's considering going to bed. Plus he's pretty sure they could literally light the sheets on fire if they wanted to. And not in the 'oh crap the bed's on fire from the candles I lit to set the mood for our romantic evening' way.

 

He also knows that Stark's are notorious for their 'cut-and-run' tendencies and, well Darcy hasn't manifested any of these to his knowledge, he'd rather make sure she's not going to turn tail on him any time soon. At least if he can avoid it. With someone like Tony as a father, it's a safe bet the issue will come up eventually.

 

Taking a deep breath, he steps up to the doors which immediately admit him.

 

“Howdy sir, you must be Clint,” a south-western sounding voice whispers through the room, strangely Jarvis like in quality but somehow wholly different. For one, Jarvis doesn't have a woman's voice. For another, he can't imagine the British-sounding AI ever using the word 'howdy'.

 

“Uh, hello?” returns Clint uneasily. He really should be used to hearing disembodied voices by now. Then his brain replays his conversation with Darcy from two night's ago and he's suddenly pretty sure he knows who this voice is. “Josie?”

 

“Yep,” chirps Josie quietly. “I'm gonna assume Darcy told ya about me.”

 

Clint nods, assuming that Darcy has the same set-up in her lab that Tony has everywhere else in the house. He hadn't gotten a chance to meet Josie yet, what with trying to continue to give Darcy space in her own workshop. Well, that and Stark workshops made him a little nervous. You never knew when something would spontaneously explode. “I wasn't expecting you to sound quite like...”

 

“A girl who grew up on a ranch in the south-west?” supplied Josie. He can practically hear the grin in the AI's tone. “She did it to annoy Tony back when she was 12.”

 

“That's...less surprising than it should be.” Somehow, he can see a twelve year old Darcy programming an AI with a voice that would tick off Tony but wouldn't annoy her. “Is Darcy here?”

 

“Sleepin' over on her workbench again. She conked out about twelve hours ago.”

 

Clint winced a little. “When did she last sleep before that?”

 

“Close ta 56 hours.”

 

He sighed heavily. “Why am I not surprised. Thought she'd at least slept a little the night before, though.”

 

“She at least stayed with ya for a few hours, I'm guessin'. Didn't get back down here 'til almost dawn that mornin'.”

 

“Good to know. Thanks Josie.” Clint pauses for a moment before pushing forward with his next question. “Should I wake her or just leave the coffee on the table?”

 

For a second, he suspects the AI is weighing its options. Leave it to Darcy to build an AI with more freedom than Jarvis. “Ya probably should wake 'er.”

 

Clint nods and moves further into the workshop, weaving around the debris littering the ground as he head's towards where he can see Darcy snoozing on her work bench. For a second, he pauses to look at her, noting how peaceful she looks asleep. It's a look he's pretty sure he could keep seeing for a while and not grow bored of.

 

“That coffee better be for me,” grumbles Darcy without opening her eyes. “'Specially since you're the one who woke me.”

 

A smile curls across his face as he sets the cup beside her. “I came down to give that to you. Didn't see you upstairs this morning.”

 

Darcy groans and grabs blindly for the mug. He quickly grabs her hand and wraps it around the ceramic so she doesn't knock it to the ground with her flailing. She hums happily in response, lifting her head to take a sip and look up at him. Her glasses are resting on the workbench next to her, so he has an unobstructed view of her blue, blue eyes.

 

“What time is it?” murmurs Darcy sleepily.

 

“Four,” replies Clint with a bit of a smirk as he leans his lower back against her work bench.

 

Her brow furrows in an adorable way that makes him just want to kiss her. “Why are you up at 4 am? You sleep until at least 6 unless you have a nightmare or mission.”

 

The fact that she knows his sleeping schedule is both a touch scary and soothing. It means she's been keeping track of when she sees him up and why. He doesn't know if this is Josie's work or not, but just the fact she remembers means something. Stark's don't tend to remember things that aren't important to them.

 

“It's 4 pm, Darce,” corrects Clint, his smirk widening. This feels more natural, this lighthearted teasing. “You've been asleep the whole damn day pretty much.”

 

“When did I go to sleep?” asks Darcy, her eyes squinting at the cup in her hands.

 

Clint doesn't think twice as he picks up her glasses and holds them out to her. “Twelve hours ago according to Josie.”

 

Darcy groans unhappily as she pushes her glasses on, but nods none the less. “Sounds right.” She takes another sip of coffee. “So what brings you down here, oh bringer of caffeine?”

 

“I wanted to see if you were free tonight,” explains Clint. He's happy that his voice comes out casual rather than any of the other numerous ways it could have come out.

 

A touch of a smirk crosses Darcy's lips. “And if I am?”

 

“Then I want to know if you want to have dinner.”

 

The smirk pulls into a full-blown grin. “Like a date?”

 

Clint returns her grin with his own smirk. “Just like a date.”

 

“I'm in,” accepts Darcy as she pushes herself off the stool to stretch. Clint's eyes may or may not have been drawn to certain prominent parts of her anatomy. “Where were you thinking of going for this date?”

 

“Figured I'd get an opinion from the lady before I made plans,” replies Clint as his eyes rise to meet her own knowing eyes. He knew he'd been caught, but her look said she didn't mind.

 

She's silent for a moment, her own eyes doing an assessment of him. “I know an Italian place a few blocks over. Hole-in-the-wall family owned place, but they make amazing calzones. It's not fancy but it's still good.”

 

“I like Italian.” Clint can feel his shoulders relaxing as they better solidify their plans. “Does six sound good?”

 

“I was thinking now,” replies Darcy with a shrug. “We can go later if you need to do something though.”

 

Clint quickly shakes his head. “Just want to grab a shower first.”

 

The almost-dirty smirk that crosses Darcy's lips makes Clint reconsider their dinner plans. They can order in, right? “I need a shower too. We could always save time and take one together.”

 

“I'm not sure that'll save time,” corrects Clint with a cocky smirk of his own, “but it sounds like an excellent idea.”

 

Darcy stands, gulps down the remainder of her coffee, and starts to pull Clint towards the front of her workshop. “Let's test that theory, shall we?”


End file.
